Potato-digger



- I 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. P. ANTONIDES. POTATO BIGGER? (No Model.)

No. 436,296. Patented Sept. 9, 1890.-

(No Model.) 2 SheetsSheet 2. P. ANTQNIDES. POTATO BIGGER No' 436,296. Patented Sept. 9, 1890.

WZIJVE.S'SE8 dilormy UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

I PETER ANTONIDES, OF FREEHOLD, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO FRANK 1 WORRELL, OF MATAWAN, NEW' JERSEY.

POTATO-DIYGGER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 436,296, dated September 9, 1890.

Application filed November 4, 1889. Serial No. 329,148. (No model.)

To all whom it 12mg concern.-

Be it known that 1, PETER ANTONIDES, of Freehold, in the county of Monmouth and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and usefullmprovements in Potato-Dig gers; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description. of the invention, which will enable others skilled 1n the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form part of this specification.

My invention relates to certain improvements in potato-diggers.

The objects of the invention are to provide an improved, simple, cheap, and durable wheeled potato-digger provided with means whereby the digging-plow maybe forced down to enter the ground various depths, or adjusted to swing clear of the ground when not in operation and being moved; also, to provide means for removing vines, 650., from in front of the plow and separators as the machine advances; also, to provide improved means to separate the potatoes from the dirt and leave the same on the surface of the ground, where they can be easily collected. These objects are accomplished by and myinvention consists in certain novel features of construction and in combinations of parts, more fully described hereinafter, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is aperspective view of the machine. Fig. 2 is a plan of the same, the plow-adjusting lever being partially broken away.

In the drawings, the reference-letters a to indicate the rear driving and main supporting wheels loosely mounted on the ends of the main supporting-axle a, and b b indicate the front supporting-Wheels mounted on the ends of the front axle b.

c 0 indicate two beams connecting the front and rear axles and connected at their front ends, as shown,'and composing the frame of the machine. The main axle a near the ends thereof is providedwith the transverse blocks or bolsters d d, rigidly secured thereto and located on the upper side thereof. At their front ends these blocks are provided with vertical loops and clamping-bolts. The rear ends of the beams c c extend through said yokes and are clamped therein and rest on the upper sides of the blocks cl d and are rigidly secured thereon, so that when the front ends of the beams are raised or depressed the axle will be correspondingly rocked.

The front axle is provided with rigid vertical guide-posts e e, fitting andsliding in Vertical slots in the guide-blocks ff, rigidly secured to the front ends of the beams c 0, so that the front ends of the beams can be raised and lowered independent of the front axle.

The draft rod or tongue gat its rear end is secured to a cross-bar of the frame and passes through and is pivoted in a vertical loop g, also secured to said frame a distance from the secured end of the tongue. Averticallymovable lever h is pivoted at its front end on said tongue, the rear end of the lever extending to within convenient'reach of the drivers seat 71, secured to the rear axle. at its front end is provided with a segment, to which the upper end of a chaint'is secured, and this chain extends down through the tongue, and at its lower end is secured to a vertically-adjustable bolt rigidly secured to or connected with the front axle, so as to be rigid therewith. Thus the front end of the frame can be depressed by forcing down the free end of the lever, and by catching the same under the hook j the frame can be held in this position. The vertical movement or throw of the front end of the frame can be varied by means of the screw-bolt, by which the chain-connection can be, shortened or lengthened.

it indicates the central flat digging or shovel plow located between the front and rear axles and supported by a strong standard Z, secured to the under side thereof and inclined rear wardly and upwardly therefrom to a transverse supporting block or bolster (2, (similar to bolster 01,) rigidly secured to the center of the main axle, and this standard is rigidly and strongly clamped upon-the top of said block.

The plow consists of a flat double blade provided with the central'opening point or rod This lever Too m, projecting forwardly and centrally therefrom, to open the ground, and extending roarwardly and centrally over the blade and up the standard, to which it is rigidly secured. This rod opens and breaks the ground and assists in throwing asidevines or rubbish from the blade, and also protects and strengthens the blade. At its rear end the blade is provided with a transverse supplemental extension 91, rigidly secured to the standard and provided with the rearwardly, upwardly, and outwardly extending wings 0 0, having the outer edges of their ends turned up, so that the dirt and potatoes passing over the shovel-blade will be thrown inwardly by said wings upon the revolving arms or forks p, which separate the potatoes from the earth and leave them on the surface of the ground. The under surface of the extension of the blade is provided with a-pair of bearings located on opposite sides of the blade-standard, in which bearings the lower ends of the two parallel inclined shafts q q are journaled, said shafts extending upwardly and rearwardly on opposite sides of the standard and beneath the main axle, and are j ournaled at their upper portions in bearings in a horizontal bar t, carried by a rearward extension of the block (1, and on their outer ends said shafts are provided with opposite bevel-gears 'r r, meshing with opposite bevel-gears s s, secured on a transverse driving-shaft a, located to the rear of the main axle and journaled in hangers 'u 12, secured to said axle and in said rearward extension of the block cl, and said shaft is provided on its ends with pinions w w, meshing with the gear-wheels w w, concentrically secured to the main drive-wheels. In the present instance each shaft q is provided with a pair of revolving arms 19, located on opposite sides thereof, said arms being secured to the lower end of the shaft at their lower ends and extending rearwardly and outwardly in opposite directions, as shown, and curved rearwardly (in the direction of motion) at their ends. These arms rotate in opposite directions in the spaces'between the standard land wings o 0.

A V-shaped fender or guide is secured to the front axle to clean all vines from in front of the blade as the machine advances, and this fender consists of the two arms 0 c, preferably formed integral or secured together at their front ends and rigidly secured to the front axle, and from thence ex tending rearwardly and outwardly in opposite directions, with the rear free ends thereof bent downwardly and located directly in front of and on opposite sides of the blade, so as to rub along the surface of the ground and remove any Vines or the like and throw them to one side out of the way of the blade, so that they will not clog the rotating separators or reels.

WVhen it is desired to use the machine, the lever is drawn down, thereby drawing down the front end of the frame and rocking the rear axle and throwing the point on and blade down into the ground and holding the same there, and as the machine proceeds forward the main wheels drive the transverse and inclined shafts so that the reels or forks composed of the arms 13 rotate inwardly in opposite directions. As the potatoes and dirt pass rearwardly over the blades, they are thrown inwardly upon said rotating arms by the wings 0 0, and the arm-forks catch and gather the potatoes and separate them from the dirt. The rotating reels or forks fill up the ditch formed by the blade and level off the surface of the ground and leave the potatoes 011 the top of the ground in awide row behind the blade and between the wings 0 0. When it is desired to allow the blade to leave the ground, the lever h is lifted, thereby allowing the front end of the frame to swing up and rock the main axle to lift the Plow from the earth.

It is evident that various changes might be made in the form and arrangement of the parts described without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention. Hence I do not wish to limit myself to the precise construction herein set forth; but

hat I claim is 1. In a potato-digger, the combination of the main axle, the drive-wheels carrying the same, the opening-blade and its standard, a horizontal shaft driven by said wheels, a pair of inclined shafts driven by the horizontal shaft at their lower ends, mounted in opposite sides of the rear end of the blade, and the arms secured to each shaft in the rear of the blade, substantially as described.

2. In a potato-digger, the combination of the axle and the drive-wheels, the openingblade, a pair of inclined shafts driven in opposite directions by said wheels and at their lower ends journaled in opposite sides of the rear of said blade, and the rearwardly and outwardly extending separating-arms carried by said plows in the rear of the blade, substantially as described.

3. The combination of the axle and drivewheels, the blade-standard, the opening-blade having a rear extension provided with opposite rearwardly-extending curved wings, and the rotary shafts carrying separator-arms be tween said wings, substantially as described.

4. The drive-wheels, an axle therefor, a forwardly-inclined standard carried by said axle and carrying the opening-blade, a horizontal shaft mounted in bearings carried by said axle and driven by the wheels, and the pair of inclined parallel shafts on opposite sides of the standard and mounted at their lower ends in the rear of the blade and carrying separator-arms and at their upper ends in bearings of the axle and driven by said horizontal shaft, substantially as described.

5. In a potato digger, the combination of the front and rear axles and wheels and the frame connecting the same, with the central inclined standard at its upper end rigidly secured to the rear axle and extending forwardly and downwardly therefrom, andthe double fiat opening-blade on the lower end of said standard and located between the front and rear axles, substantially as described.

6. In apotato-digger, the combination of the front and rear supporting-wheels and axles, a frame rigidly secured to the rear axle and carried by the front axle in vertical adjust- -ment, an inclined standard at its rear end secured to the rear axle to rock therewith and extending forwardly therefrom, an openingblade carried by the lower end of said standard, and a lever mounted 011 the front end of the frame and connected with the front axle to rock the rear axle, substantially as described.

7. In a potato-digger, the combination of the rear rocking axle, the front axle having vertical posts rigid therewith, a frame at its rear end rigidly secured to the rear axle and front ends adapted to slide on said posts, a rearwardly-extending lever carried by the front end of said frame, having a segment carrying a chain connected with the front axle, means to hold said lever depressed, and an inclined rigid standard secured to the rear axle and carrying the digging-plow at its lower end, substantially as described.

8. In a potato-digger, the combination, with the opening-plow and the driving-wheels and support for the same, of the inclined shafts connected with and driven by said drivewheels in opposite directions and j ournaled at their lower front ends immediately at the rear and on opposite sides of said plow and carrying arms located directly in rear of said plow to catch the potatoes, and rearwardlyextending bent wings extending from the plow along the outer sides of said arms to catch the earth and potatoes passing over the plow and throw the same upon said rotating arms, substantially as described.

9. In a potato-digger, the combination of the main axle, main supporting-wheels carrying the same, a standard centrally and rigidly secured to said axle and extending forwardly and downwardly from the same, the diggingplow on the lower end of the same, a pair of shafts journaled at their lower ends on opposite sides of the rear end of said plow and at their upper ends in rear of said axle and provided with arms at their lower ends to catch the potatoes passing over the plow and separate them from the dirt, and a transverse shaft at the rear of the axle driven by said wheels and driving the two shafts in opposite directions, substantially as described.

10. In a potato-digger, the combination of the main axle and wheels carrying the same, the standard carried by said axle, the fiat double opening-blade carried by said standard, and a rod forming the opening-point for said blade and rigidly secured to and longitudinally located on said standard, substantially as described.

11. In a potato-digger, the combination of the front and rear axles and wheels and the frame connecting the axles witlrthe openingblade located between said axles, and a pair of rigid arms stationarily secured to the front axle and formed or secured together and extending rearwardly and outwardly, with the rear ends thereof bent down just in front of opposite sides of the plow, for the purpose set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

PETER ANTONIDES. Witnesses:

H. E. PECK, C. M. WERLE. 

